Research Paper
Volume : 2 | Issue : 10 | October 2013 • ISSN No 2277 - 8179
Kinesiology
Somatotype Differences in Young Croatian
Rowers and Soccer Players
Damjan Marov, univ.
bacc. cin.
Dr. Sc. Zoran Grgantov
Mirjana Milić, prof.
dr. sc. Marko Erceg
Hrvoje Sivrić, prof
ABSTRACT
KEYWORDS : rowing, soccer, body
build, t-test
Student, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Teslina 6, Croatia
Associate professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Teslina 6,
Croatia
Assistant professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Teslina 6,
Croatia
Assistant professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Teslina 6,
Croatia
Senior lecturer, College of Slavonski Brod, Dr. Mile Budaka 1, Croatia
The aim of this research was to analyse the somatotype differences in young Croatian rowers and soccer
players. The research was conducted on the sample of 19 soccer players and 14 rowers aged 16 years. The
average somatotype value in rowers was 4.64-4.54-2.84±2.11-1.14-1.02 (mezomorph-endomorph), while in soccer players it was
2.43-4.39-3.28±0.96-1.13-1.21 (ectomorph-mezomorph). The independent samples T-test showed that the endomorph component
was significantly more expressed in rowers than in soccer players. Eight somatotype categories for rowers and six for soccer players
were created based on the category diagram. The highest percentage of rowers belonged to the mesomorphic endomorph category
(29%), while in soccer players the most represented was the ectomorphic mezomorph (28%) category. 50 % of rowers belonged to
the somatotype categories dominated by the endomorphic component, while 62% of soccer players belonged to the somatotype categories dominated by the mesomorphic component.
INTRODUCTION
Rowing is defined as boat movement, with or without the steersman, by muscle power of one or several rowers, using oars as
simple levers of second order, while sitting with their backs
turned in the direction of the boat movement. It belongs to the
group of cyclic, monostructural activities, and by the domination of the certain energetic sources in the energy consumption
it belongs to the group of predominately aerobic activities. The
energy requirements for the overall competition are in average
80% aerobic and 20% anaerobic (Marinović, 2009).
Unlike rowing, soccer belongs to the group of polystructural
complex sports. Regarding the duration and intensity of the
match, most energy in soccer is gained from aerobic activities
(Jastrebzski et al., 2013). Tactically, soccer is an invasive sports
game. Team scores by moving a ball into another team’s territory and shooting into a goal. To prevent scoring, one team must
stop the other from bringing the ball in its own territory and
attempting to score (Mitchell, Oslin and Griffin, 2006).
The assumption is that those obvious differences between rowing and soccer condition the different body stature necessary
for success in the sports. Somatotyping is one of the most frequently used techniques for analyzing the body build. Very often
somatotype is used in identifying talented young athletes for
particular sports (Carter et al., 2005). However, most research
that analysed body stature in rowing (Ackland et al., 2001; Bourgois et al., 2000; Mikulić et al., 2005) and soccer (Martirosov et
al., 1987; Reilly, Bangsbo and Franks, 2000), was conducted on
the sample of elite junior and senior athletes.
In Croatia there was no research that analysed somatotype difference of youth rowers and soccer players.
METHODS
This research represents a cross-sectional study in which
Croatian young soccer players (N=19; average chronological age 16.00 years) and rowers (N=14; average chronological
age 15.29 years) were measured by using ten anthropometric
measures, representing independent variables. These variables
were: Body height (cm) and Body mass (kg); Triceps, Subscapular, Supraspinale and Calf skinfolds (cm); Flexed arm and Calf
girth (cm); Humerus and Femur breadth (cm). The dependant
variable in this research was the sport practiced by the examinee (soccer or rowing). Based on the anthropometric characteristics, body mass index was calculated, as well as three somatotype components by using the Heath-Carter method. Two to
three measurements were taken at each site with the average
value used in any further calculation if two measurements were
taken, and the median value used if three measurements were
taken. The independent samples T-test determined difference
significance in certain somatotype components between soccer
players and rowers. Analysis of differences in proportions was
used to establish whether there were significant differences
in frequency of each somatotype category between the soccer players and rowers. Somatotype Ver. 1.2.5.and StatisticaVer
10.00 softwares were used in data processing.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 Descriptive indicators and Kolmogorov-Smirnov
distribution normality test
Variables
Soccer players (N=19)
Mean SD
K-S
Rowers (N=14)
Mean SD
K-S
Body weight
70.41 10.38 0.13
75.34
9.90
15.99
9.21
Body height
Supraspinale
skinfold
Subscapular
skinfold
Triceps skinfold
Calf skinfold
Calf girth
Flexed arm
girth
Femur breadth
Humerus
breadth
179.18 8.82
0.15
7.36
3.19
0.23
9.40 3.57
11.29 3.25
37.93 2.21
0.24
0.11
0.16
9.02
2.23
30.81 2.70
9.77
6.94
0.47
0.61
0.22
0.23
0.18
0.18
Test=0.31
180.79 5.83
0.13
20.40
0.14
15.68
15.79
37.97
32.89
10.01
7.04
11.61
7.99
7.07
2.60
2.87
0.47
0.37
0.13
0.16
0.15
0.18
0.20
0.13
0.15
0.18
Test=0.36
Table legend: N – number of examinees; Mean – arithmetic
mean; Med – medium value; Min – minimum value; Max – maximum value; SD – standard deviation; K-S – Kolmogorov-Smirnov
test; Test – limit value of K-S test
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Research Paper
Volume : 2 | Issue : 10 | October 2013 • ISSN No 2277 - 8179
The values of K-S test (Table 1) are lower for all the variables
than critical values of the subsamples of soccer players and rowers. This confirms that distributions of all the variables do not
significantly deviate from the normal distribution, and that in
further data processing parametric methods of data processing
can be applied. The height of youth rowers and soccer players is
approximately equal. Rowers are heavier and have more subcutaneous fat tissue than soccer players.
Table 2 Comparasion of somatotype components in soccer
players (N=19) and rowers (N=14)
Somatotype
components
Endomorphic*
Mesomorphic
Ectomorphic
Soccer players
Mean SD
Rowers
Range Mean SD
Range
2.43 0.96 1.1-4.7 4.64
2.11 1.6-9
3.28 1.21 1.2-5.4 2.84
1.02 1-5.1
4.39 1.13 1.1-5.9 4.54
1.14 2.4-6.5
Table legend: Mean – arithmetic mean; SD – standard deviation;
Range – minimum and maximum value span; * - significant differences in certain somatotype component gained by the independent samples t-test
the highest quality level play.
Young rowers participating in this research had equal values of
mezomorph and ectomorph, and significantly higher values of
endomorph somatotype component in comparison to the Greek
rowers of the same age (2.5-4.5-3.0, Kaloupsis et al., 2008). In
high quality Greek senior rowers (lightweight rowers 1.6-4.63.2; heavyweight rowers 2.1-5.2-2.5; Kaloupsis et al., 2008),
and especially in rowers who participated at 2000 Sydney
Olympic Games (lightweight rowers 1.4-4.4-3.4; heavyweight
rowers 1.9-5.0-2.5; Ackland et al., 2001) even lower values of
endomorph somatotype component are noticed, meaning that
an excess of subcutaneous fat tissue had a negative impact on
the rowing success. It is interesting that the endomorph component was more expressed in Croatian senior rowers (3.3-5.0-2.4
Mikulić et al., 2005) than in Greek rowers and participants of
Sydney Olympic games.
Table 3 Frequency and percentage of each somatotype category and significance of differences in proportions between
rowers and soccer players
Somatotype category
Rowers
(N=14)
N
%
Mesomorphic
endomorph
4
29
Endomorphic
mesomorph
1
Balanced endomorph 1
Mesomorphendomorph
2
Balanced mesomorph 1
Ectomorphic
mesomorph
1
Mesomorphic
ectomorph
0
Mesomorphectomorph
Balanced ectomorph
Central
0
1
3
7
14
7
7
7
0
0
7
21
Soccer players
(N=19)
N
%
p
0
0
0.01
0
0
3
3
5
1
3
0
3
0
0
17
17
28
6
17
0
17
0.12
0.27
0.19
0.19
0.06
0.17
0.05
0.12
0.39
Table legend: N – frequency of subjects, % – relative values; pstatistical significance
Figure 1 Somatoplot of soccer players and rowers
Young soccer players in average belong to the ecto-mesomorph
while young rowers belong to the mesomorph-endomorph
somatotype category (Table 2 and Figure 1). The independent
samples t-test showed that rowers had significantly higher values in the endomorph somatotype component compared to soccer players.
Comparison of the obtained results and the results of other research leads to a conclusion that values of mezomorph somatotype component in young Croatian soccer players were equal
to those of their peers from Spain (2.6-4.4-2.6, Gill et al., 2010)
and Greece (3.6-4.4-2.8, Nikolaidis et al., 2011), with somewhat
more expressed ectomorph somatotype component. Greek soccer players had somewhat higher values of endomorph component than the Spanish and Croatian young soccer players. In
elite junior (1.7-5.6-2.6, Martirosov et al., 1987) and senior (2.05.3-2.2, Reilly et al., 2000) soccer players there was a growth
trend in the mezomorph and decrease trend in the endomorph
somatotype component. Such body stature enables soccer players a display of strength, speed and endurance, necessary for
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IJSR - INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
A classification of the examinees into somatotype categories
had been executed (Table 3), with the aim of gaining more detailed insight into somatotype specificities of individual players
. Of the possible 13, eight somatotype categories were gained
on the subsample of rowers, and six on the subsample of soccer players. By analysis of differences in proportions between
young soccer players and rowers, a significantly higher proportion of the mesomorphic endomorph somatotype category was
established in rowers, and a significantly higher proportion of
the mesomorphic ectomorph somatotype category was found
in soccer players.
The highest percentage of rowers belonged to the mesomorphendomorph category (29%), while in soccer players the ectomorph-mesomorph category was the most represented (28%).
50 % of rowers belonged to the somatotype categories dominated by the endomorph component, while 62% of soccer players belonged to the somatotype categories dominated by the
mesomorph component.
CONCLUSION
• Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions have been drawn:
• Endomorph somatotype component was significantly more
Research Paper
•
•
expressed in young rowers than in young soccer players
Somatotype of young Croatian rowers in this research differed from the somatotype of elite rowers, by much higher
expression of endomorph component
Somatotype of young Croatian soccer players in this research was similar to the somatotype of high quality junior
and senior soccer players.
•
•
Volume : 2 | Issue : 10 | October 2013 • ISSN No 2277 - 8179
50 % of rowers belonged to the somatotype categories
dominated by the endomorph component, while 62% of
soccer players belonged to the somatotype categories dominated by the mesomorph component.
Quality training and convenient nutrition should influence
the reduction of subcutaneous fat tissue in young rowers.
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